Solved

How can I cancel an accidental renewal caused by a bug on the online account?

Show first post

55 replies

A
Rank

1 st of June. After 2 hours on the phone I think it is all sorted. I`m just amazed it happened in the first place🙄

Jeffus
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

1 st of June. After 2 hours on the phone I think it is all sorted. I`m just amazed it happened in the first place🙄

So did OVO still charge you 60 pounds to exit as that is less than two weeks ago? 

A
Rank

Yes, they did initially. £30 pounds for each fuel. I spent an hour on the phone trying to get it rectified. I thought I had succeeded at first only to notice that they had only refunded me £30 and not £60. Then spent another hour on the phone going through the whole process again!

Got there in the end. Don't think I`m going to be an Ovo customer anymore come October😔

Jeffus
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Yes, they did initially. £30 pounds for each fuel. I spent an hour on the phone trying to get it rectified. I thought I had succeeded at first only to notice that they had only refunded me £30 and not £60. Then spent another hour on the phone going through the whole process again!

Got there in the end. Don't think I`m going to be an Ovo customer anymore come October😔

Good to hear you got it sorted. 

From my experience OVO are usually pretty good, but it can sometimes take a while to sort some things out. I am not sure many other energy companies are different currently. 

I have been an OVO customer just over a year and will continue if the pricing is competitive. 

nealmurphy
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Yes, they did initially. £30 pounds for each fuel. I spent an hour on the phone trying to get it rectified. I thought I had succeeded at first only to notice that they had only refunded me £30 and not £60. Then spent another hour on the phone going through the whole process again!

Got there in the end. Don't think I`m going to be an Ovo customer anymore come October😔

 

Yes, mistakes can happen, but this is something that should be sorted in a couple of minutes. I'm always surprised when I hear of problems like this of how long it takes on the phone to rectify. Glad you eventually got it sorted and for being to patient.

R
Rank
Userlevel 3

That seems like an odd strategy. Some virus scanners will try the links in an email to check that they are safe. Can OVO deal with that properly? 

 

That’s what happened to me. I clicked, thinking that I would get the ‘are you really sure you want to do this?’ option. Sadly I did not.

Jeffus
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

 That’s what happened to me. I clicked, thinking that I would get the ‘are you really sure you want to do this?’ option. Sadly I did not.

 

The renewal page certainly could be better. 

Here is my renewal page on the app. 

I think of myself as quite IT literate. 

If you want more info on a particular option you have to click on the little down arrow but seriously that will be very easy to miss for very many people. 

It is also unusual if clicking on the "Renew now“ button doesn't give you any small print to read before confirming your choice. I have never clicked on the button. What happens when you do @Jess_OVO @Tim_OVO 

R
Rank
Userlevel 3

That’s not a problem either. :)

The fact that you sent the email in during the cooling-off period is what counts. Even if it takes a while for OVO to pick it up, the request will be backdated based on the timestamp of the email. As long as you sent it before the 14 days ran out, you should be good.

An update. I never ever got a reply to my email. I was charged two exit fees which, had to be removed as ‘goodwill’. 

Jeffus
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

An update. I never ever got a reply to my email. I was charged two exit fees which, had to be removed as ‘goodwill’. 

 

Good to hear you got the fees back in the end.

Overall i have been happy with OVO, they could be quicker when i have raised things, but I think all suppliers are under a lot of pressure at the moment.

R
Rank
Userlevel 3

Overall i have been happy with OVO, they could be quicker when i have raised things, but I think all suppliers are under a lot of pressure at the moment.

 

I think that you are right. Having to ‘merge’ so many SSE customers could not have been an easy task. Once my frozen Billing History is sorted, then hopefully all will be well.

S
Rank

On 13 June whilst researching fixed plans on the app, it appears that I accidentally started a 2 year fix and protect plan.
There was no other step before the new plan was up and running from 14 June. There was no correction/withdrawal option  on the app, I immediately sent emails and after spending some considerable time on the online chat on 15 June my plan was reverted back to standard variable rate from 16 June.

My account now shows £60 in exit fee charges! The accidental sign up for two days has cost £60 despite the regulatory 14 day cooling off period.

The fight goes on! OVO emailed again.

I am not impressed.

Jeffus
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Hi @suer

Sorry to hear about your situation. I am just a customer like you. 

Multiple people have raised the same scenario recently.

I agree, the renewal screens could be better

This is a bit of my renewal screen.

It is not particularly clear that you have to click on the down arrow to get more information on each plan and i am relatively IT literate. I am clearly not alone looking at other posts from customers. 

It is also unusual in my experience that there isn't some small print and further details after clicking renew now and then a final confirmation box. 

The others cases we have seen have also had to chase to get the fees returned. OVO are pretty good generally in my experience  compared to the other energy companies, but could be quicker and there are a few mistakes that should really be avoided like the fee issue. 

I have seen others get their fees back after chasing so you shouldn't have any issues. 

Let us know if you have any more queries in the future or issues getting your money back. 

I have flagged @Jess_OVO and @Tim_OVO two of the OVO moderators as we have seen this multiple times now. They are pretty good at feeding back to the appropriate OVO team, so thanks very much for highlighting your case on the forum. It does help. Hopefully something will get done to minimise this happening to others in the future. 

Let us know how you get on

 

 

S
Rank

Hi @Jeffus 

Thank you for that, I will keep you updated and hopefully between us we can get this sorted, unnecessary stress for customers when things are worrying enough.

R
Rank
Userlevel 3

I am in shock! I was scrolling through the fixes on my phone, and by accident my finger slipped and I have managed to sign up for a two-year fix that I don’t want. I was thinking about signing up for a cheaper one-year instead. I really wish that OVO would make it a two-step authorisation process. Why don’t they do this?

I had terrible trouble cancelling my first fix and really don't want to go through all the hassle again. From now on I will only login on my pc, not my phone.

R
Rank
Userlevel 3

It’s been sorted, and very easily this time. Customer service seems to be improving, so I am happy.

nealmurphy
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Glad it’s sorted. Customer service have obviously had more practice at doing this now 😉Maybe they should have a word with the I.T. department?

Looking forward to your post where you do it for a third time 😁

R
Rank
Userlevel 3

Glad it’s sorted. Customer service have obviously had more practice at doing this now 😉Maybe they should have a word with the I.T. department?

Looking forward to your post where you do it for a third time 😁

Well, knowing my old, arthritic fingers, anything is possible! 😂 

nealmurphy
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Ironically, I’ve just given you ‘Best Answer’ when I actually meant to like your post, so it’s not just you who presses links accidently! 😁 

Tim_OVO
Rank
Userlevel 7

For anyone else affected by a lack of 2-step verification, vote for this feature here:

 

 

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

Ironically, I’ve just given you ‘Best Answer’ when I actually meant to like your post, so it’s not just you who presses links accidently! 😁 

You have literally no idea how many times I’ve done that by mistake!

The good news is that @Tim_OVO and @Jess_OVO are always happy to undo such mistakes, either by unmarking the answer, or moving it over to the right comment. I think the user who started the thread can also request that too if memory serves.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
R
Rank
Userlevel 3

Well, it hasn’t quite been sorted yet. Once again, I have been charged two exit fees within the cooling down period. The first time, the lady took it off immediately. This time the lady said it had to go to another department to be dealt with, and that I should get my refund within 3 working days.

Ho-hum… That will teach me to speak too soon. 

M.isterW
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

Why are we trying to persuade OVO to introduce 2 step verification? Surely part of treating customers fairly is making it clear what they're signing up to? The company I work for would get hauled up by our regulator if we didn't get confirmation from customers that they understand what they're buying.

 

Someone in OVO needs a kick up the arse for implementing this on their website.

1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊
A
Rank

Hi

I've just been looking at the Fixed Term plans on the website, didn't fancy any of the rates so just moved away.  Now I have just received 2 emails from OVO to say I've signed up for a 1 Year Fixed Plan, with no interaction or agreement from myself.

Of course I tried calling but what energy supplier works weekends??

I've fired off an email but from last experience I don't expect I'll get a reply any time soon.

Anybody else had this issue before?

Thanks

Blastoise186
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +1

To be brutally honest… You should probably keep that fix deal. Variable rate prices are likely to go up before they come down.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
A
Rank

Thanks for the reply

I hear what you're saying . . But I wouldn't have picked the Fixed Plan they've dumped me on!

And besides, I never agreed to make the move in the first place.

Reply


Terms & ConditionsCookie settings